The black box and Flight data recorder of the Nigerian Air Force Beechcraft 350 jet which crashed on Friday near the Kaduna International Airport have been found.
This was announced by Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika via his social media page on Saturday night. It will be recalled that Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru along with 10 other military personnel were killed in the crash.
According to Sirika, the Accident Investigation Bureau is in possession of both devices which will be vital in finding out the circumstances that led to the crash. He also revealed that a full-scale investigation has been launched into the incident.
The AIB only probes civil aviation accidents and incidents in Nigeria and not military accidents or incidents but in this case, the Nigerian Airforce mandated the bureau to investigate.
“With heavy heart, we in Civil Aviation commiserate with the Nation & the C-in-C on the NAF air crash. An investigation has commenced today in accordance with our recent MOU with the military. We pray Allah grant mercy to their souls & may the outcome prevent future occurrence.”
“The Flight Data Recorder and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (Black Box) are both found and in the custody of our Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB). These recorders are critical to the investigation and will make things easier and faster.”, the minister wrote.